Assessing the ultimate load capacity of plate-shaped and hollow section steel components under tension using damage mechanics

摘要

It is a general question as to whether the established rules for predicting ultimate resistance under global tension can also be applied to structures made from high strength steel (HSS). This question refers to several items, e.g. the plastic flow curve, the yield stress level, the yield ratio, the upper-shelf ductility and the toughness properties. It reveals that predicting the ductile fracture of steel components can only be an approximation and neither allows for a deeper understanding of the real ductile crack development up to ultimate load. The research work presented therefore suggests an innovative extension of the FEM analysis by implementing appropriate damage mechanics based failure criteria.